WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Females: Unemployment

Helen Jones: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what recent meetings she has had with ministerial colleagues to discuss the level of unemployment among women.

Lynne Featherstone: I have regular discussions with ministerial colleagues about a range of issues relevant to women.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Olympic Games 2012

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport with reference to his Department's announcement of 14 September 2011, whether Barnett consequential funding will arise from unspent London 2012 Olympics funding that is to be allocated to Visit England.

Hugh Robertson: The Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), recently announced that around £3 million from the public sector funding package for the Olympic and Paralympic Games would be made available to support a domestic tourism campaign to maximise the economic benefits from the Torch Relay and the Cultural Olympiad. This does not constitute the reallocation of unspent Olympic funds, but rather an investment in a key objective of the Olympic programme: to ensure that the benefits from the Games are felt throughout the UK. We hope to include the devolved nations in this campaign and the Secretary of State is in discussions with ministerial colleagues with regard to this possibility. The Olympic and Paralympic Games are a national project and Barnett consequential do not apply.

JUSTICE

Automatic Number Plate Recognition

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prosecutions there were as a direct result of a motor vehicle’s number plate triggering an automatic number plate recognition camera in (a) 2006, (b) 2007, (c) 2008, (d) 2009 and (e) 2010.

Crispin Blunt: It is not possible to separately identify those specific cases where the defendant was proceeded against as a direct result of a motor vehicle’s number plate triggering an automatic number plate recognition camera.
	Data held centrally on the Ministry of Justice court proceedings database does not include information about the circumstances behind each case, other than that which may be identified from a statute.

Driving Offences: Sentencing

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what discussions has he had with the Attorney-General on reviewing the maximum sentence for dangerous driving; and if he will make a statement.

Kenneth Clarke: The Government are creating a new criminal offence of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, which will carry a five-year maximum prison sentence. This will be introduced into the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill.
	The offence is a direct response to the concerns expressed by victims of dangerous driving, and those who represent them. It will allow the most serious consequences of dangerous driving to be dealt with fully by the courts.

Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill

Paul Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what discussions he has had on the likely effects of the provisions of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill on the human rights of people in developing countries harmed by UK companies.

Jonathan Djanogly: Overseas victims of alleged corporate harm by UK multinational companies are currently able to bring civil claims in the UK where appropriate, and this will continue to be the case following implementation of our reforms to civil litigation funding and costs. My officials and I have met with relevant stakeholders, including the Coalition for Corporate Responsibility (CORE), Amnesty International and Oxfam, to discuss the impact of the proposed reforms.

Youth Justice Board

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many representations he has received proposing that the Youth Justice Board be abolished; and from whom;
	(2)  how many representations he has received proposing that the Youth Justice Board remain as a separate entity from his Department; and from whom.

Crispin Blunt: In July 2011, the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) launched a public consultation on the proposals for reform of the majority of MOJ bodies in the Public Bodies Bill to ensure that as many interested parties as possible could contribute views. The consultation closes on 11 October and includes the proposals relating to the future of the Youth Justice Board. Information on the result of the consultation will be published in the usual manner.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

International Climate Fund Implementation Plan

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what progress has been made in the development of the International Climate Fund Implementation Plan.

Gregory Barker: We are currently working with the Department for International Development, Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs and HM Treasury to finalise the International Climate Fund Implementation Plan. We will publish the document later this month.

Wind Power

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many working on-shore wind farms were not operational on (a) 11, (b) 12 and (c) 13 September 2011; and for what reasons.

Charles Hendry: All of the 46 working large onshore wind farms where National Grid monitors output were operational on 11 to 13 September 2011. However, output from some of those onshore wind farms was curtailed or stopped for parts of the days in question, as follows:
	(a) 11 September 2011: 11 wind farms;
	(b) 12 September 2011: nine wind farms; and
	(c) 13 September 2011: 16 wind farms.
	This was due to high levels of wind output in Scotland which the transmission network in that area did not have the capacity to carry.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Sitting Days

Anne Main: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, what estimate the Commission has made of the marginal cost to the public purse of the House of Commons sitting for two weeks in September.

John Thurso: The marginal cost of this year’s additional sitting has been relatively low as most operating costs are fixed costs and are therefore unaffected by the number and distribution of sittings, and there was sufficient notice to take the September sitting into account when planning the works programme. We estimate a marginal cost of around £200,000 will be incurred as the direct result of the two-week sitting in September. To avoid an accumulating backlog of works, further September sittings would be likely to have a marginal cost of some £1.5 million.

PRIME MINISTER

Members: Correspondence

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Prime Minister when he plans to reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for Bury South of 29 July 2011.

David Cameron: A reply has been sent.

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Electoral Register

Sadiq Khan: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, what information the Electoral Commission holds on the amount each local authority is planning to spend on voter registration in 2011-12.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that it does not currently hold any information on the amount each local authority plans to spend on electoral registration in future financial years. This information is collected only once the financial year has ended.
	Over the last three financial years, local authorities across Great Britain spent £82 million (2009-10), £83 million (2008-09) and £81 million (2007-08) on electoral registration.
	The Commission is currently collecting information for the 2010-11 financial year and will be publishing a report with the data on their website in December 2011. A copy will also be placed in the Library of the House of Commons.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Criminal Proceedings: Victim Support

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Attorney-General what assessment he has made of the level of support provided by the Crown Prosecution Service for victims participating in criminal proceedings.

Dominic Grieve: There is a comprehensive network of joint police and Crown Prosecution Service Witness Care Units, whose role is to provide support to victims and witnesses in the Criminal Justice System. The Victim and Witness Satisfaction Survey in September 2010 found that 85% of victims and witnesses are satisfied with their experience of the Criminal Justice System.

TREASURY

Departmental Manpower

Jack Dromey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many officials in his Department worked on the draft of the national planning policy framework produced by the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Justine Greening: I refer the hon. Member to the answer provided by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles) on 10 October 2011, Official Report, column 16W. Officials from the Treasury have worked closely with DCLG officials on the Draft National Planning Policy Framework. Approximately four HM Treasury officials were substantively involved in its development.

Departmental Manpower

Jack Dromey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many officials in his Department worked on the draft of the national planning policy framework produced by the practitioners' advisory group.

Justine Greening: I refer the hon. Member to the answer provided by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles) on 10 October 2011, Official Report, column 16W. Officials from the Treasury have worked closely with DCLG officials on the Draft National Planning Policy Framework. Two HM Treasury officials provided information when asked by the Advisory Group.

Parish Councils: PAYE

Tony Baldry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what advice and guidance his Department gives to parish councils in respect of their responsibility for PAYE for parish clerks.

David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) provide a range of help to all small employers, including Parish Councils. HMRC provides a free, downloadable toolkit that will enable a council to discharge all its Pay As You Earn (PAYE) obligations simply and without incurring further cost. HMRC runs free seminars where those in councils responsible for PAYE can receive face-to-face training in payroll.
	HMRC recognises the burden on Parishes of having to operate PAYE for the first time. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have a team of advisers who have been specially briefed to deal with enquiries from Parish Councils. These advisers can be contacted on 0845 607 0143.
	HMRC has published special guidance for parishes. This is accessible at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/employers/parish_council.pdf
	HMRC is also working with the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) to ensure smaller parishes understand, and can access, the various help and advice available to them.

Public Sector Net Cash Requirement

Angela Eagle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the likely effects on gross domestic product growth in quarter three and quarter four of 2011 of the infrastructure measures announced by the Deputy Prime Minister on 14 September 2011.

Justine Greening: The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is responsible for producing independent economic and fiscal forecasts. The Chancellor has asked the OBR to publish a new economic and fiscal forecast on 29 November.

Public Sector Net Cash Requirement

Angela Eagle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will estimate public sector net borrowing in 2012 if gross domestic product growth is (a) 1.3 per cent. and (b) two per cent;
	(2)  if he will estimate public sector net debt in 2011 if gross domestic product growth is 1.3 per cent.

Justine Greening: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), and I have asked the OBR to reply.
	Letter from Robert Chote
	As Chair of the Budget Responsibility Committee of the Office for Budget Responsibility I have been asked to reply to your recent questions.
	The central forecast in our March Economic and fiscal outlook (EFO) was for GDP growth of 1.7 per cent in 2011 and 2.5 per cent in 2012. Net debt was projected to rise to 66.1 per cent of GDP in 2011-12 and to 69.7 per cent of GDP in 2012-13.
	As always, there is considerable uncertainty around such point estimates. In light of this, we undertake extensive sensitivity and scenario analysis in order to illustrate the implications for the public finances of altering some of the key parameters and judgements in the central forecast.
	As set out in the EFO document, for these purposes we use a ready-reckoner that assumes a 1 per cent change in GDP in a given year will result in a 0.5 per cent of GDP change in public sector net borrowing (PSNB) in the first year, and a 0.7 per cent of GDP change in PSNB after two years.
	This gives a broad-brush guide to the scale of the impact, by assuming that the difference in GDP is structural; the composition of GDP remains unchanged; and that, given the state of the economy, there are no errors in forecasting receipts or expenditure. In reality, there are additional uncertainties around all of these factors. We illustrate some of the general uncertainty through the use of a fan chart, which shows the probability of different borrowing outcomes based on past forecast errors.
	We will update our forecasts on 29th November. The Charter for Budget Responsibility requires us to produce each of our fiscal and economic forecasts on a date announced to Parliament by the Chancellor. In line with this, it would not be appropriate to publish new estimates in isolation prior to the publication of the November EFO.

Revenue and Customs: Correspondence

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Inland Revenue Debt Enforcement Unit will respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Coventry South of 8 September, reference: 190PR101450.

David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs issued a reply to the hon. Member for Coventry South on 13 September 2011.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Cluster Munitions

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will amend the Cluster Munitions (Prohibition) Act 2010 to prohibit British banks from making investments in companies that produce cluster munitions; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The Cluster Munitions (Prohibitions) Act 2010 comprehensively implements in UK law all of the prohibitions set out in the convention on cluster munitions.
	Issues of funding and finance are not covered in the convention. However, direct and explicit financing of cluster munitions production is caught by the Act's prohibition on assisting and encouraging the use of cluster munitions, and is therefore illegal in the UK.
	The issue of indirect financing, including investments in companies that may produce cluster munitions alongside a range of other items and services, is an issue for individual institutions to consider under their own investment charters and social corporate responsibility agendas.

Cluster Munitions

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his counterparts in (a) Russia, (b) China and (c) the US on their signature of the convention on cluster munitions; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: Globalising the convention on cluster munitions is a Government priority.
	The UK became a state party to the convention in November 2010, and since then we have worked to fulfil its obligations: destruction of the UK's stockpile is ahead of schedule; £30 million is being provided by the Department for International Development over 2010-13 to support Mine Action; and we are working to increase the convention's membership. Most recently my officials have organised initiatives to promote the convention within the Commonwealth.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has consistently taken opportunities to lobby counterparts from Russia, China and the US to prohibit cluster munitions and to join the convention. This has included discussions in London, at relevant international meetings, and direct lobbying through our overseas network.

Libya: UN Resolutions

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of UK participants in the Paris conference on the future of Libya were women; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The UK was represented at the Paris summit conference on the future of Libya by the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague).

Paraguay: Forests

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will ask HM ambassador in Paraguay to raise with the Paraguayan authorities allegations of illegal land clearances within the ancestral lands of the Ayoreo-Totobiegosode Indians in the Chaco.

Jeremy Browne: Paraguay's constitution gives legal recognition to its indigenous people. Paraguay has ratified the indigenous and tribal people’s convention of the International Labour Organisation and voted in favour for the adoption of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. However, Paraguay's institutional framework could more effectively protect and promote the rights of indigenous people. During the recent Universal Periodic Review of Paraguay's human rights record at the UN, the UK pushed for Paraguay to ensure land disputes involving indigenous people are resolved effectively. Paraguay accepted this recommendation and committed to establishing a proper process to do so. UK relations with Paraguay are conducted through our embassy in Buenos Aires. The UK will continue to monitor this situation from there and through the EU Delegation in Asuncion.

HEALTH

Cancer: Drugs

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the likely effects of establishing strategic health authority clusters on the operation of the Cancer Drugs Fund at strategic health authority level; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: It is our intention that the clustering of strategic health authorities will not adversely affect the operation of the Cancer Drugs Fund. Work is in progress to scope options for ensuring cancer patients will be unaffected by these changes and that we continue to realise the benefits of the Cancer Drugs Fund.

Cancer: Drugs

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 6 September 2011, Official Report, column 562W, on cancer: drugs, whether strategic health authorities will be required to account for any funds from their weighted capitation share of the Cancer Drugs Fund that are unspent at the end of each financial year; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: Strategic health authorities (SHAs) are accountable for the resources available to them, including the Cancer Drugs Fund.
	We expect regional SHA clinical panels to plan according to their allocated shares of the available funding. The Department will monitor SHA spend from the Cancer Drugs Fund and transfers between SHAs can be considered if a good reason arises.

Departmental Data Protection

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the rate of compliance by NHS personnel with information security guidance issued by (a) him and (b) NHS Connecting for Health.

Simon Burns: Each national health service organisation is legally responsible for the security of the information it holds and for ensuring that its staff comply with local security policies and procedures. The Department has published an information security code of practice and a range of good practice guidelines to support NHS bodies and the NHS chief executive has recently written, jointly with the Information Commissioner, to all NHS chief executive officers to emphasise the importance of robust information governance.
	NHS organisations complete an information governance assessment each year through the online NHS information governance toolkit which can be found at:
	https://www.igt.connectingforhealth.nhs.uk/
	and which also enables each organisation’s performance results to be viewed.

Departmental Data Protection

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance on information security (a) he and (b) NHS Connecting for Health have issued to NHS personnel on the use of (i) mobile devices, (ii) laptops, (iii) e-mail accounts and (iv) other IT equipment owned by NHS personnel and used for official business relating to (A) non-patient-identifiable information and (B) patient-identifiable information.

Simon Burns: The Department has published an information security code of practice and a range of good practice guidelines to support national health service bodies covering all of the topic’s references. This guidance is made available through the NHS information governance toolkit which can be found at:
	https://www.igt.connectingforhealth.nhs.uk/

Departmental Data Protection

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what security breaches involving official material stored on equipment (a) provided by NHS organisations and (b) owned by NHS employees and used for NHS-related purposes there were in each of the last five years.

Simon Burns: This information is not held centrally. For the past two years, national health service organisations have been required to publish details of security incidents on their websites.

Departmental Policy

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what policy teams there are within his Department.

Simon Burns: The Department does not hold information about its policy teams in a way that specifically distinguishes policy teams from other teams, such as operational or corporate business teams.
	In March 2011, as part of the latest transparency exercise, the Department published its organisational chart or ‘organogram’, including details of every branch and senior staff in the Department. This is available at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Aboutus/HowDHworks/Transparency/DH_127549
	An update to the organogram is planned shortly as part of the wider transparency agenda.

Departmental Security

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the level of compliance by officials in his Department with security guidance issued by his Department.

Simon Burns: The Department adheres to the Government's Security Policy Framework in developing its own security guidance and assessing compliance. Guidance to staff is set out in an Acceptable Use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) policy and other security related advice.
	Responsibility for compliance rests with the Department's managers, who report through quarterly and annual information risk assessments. Specific security checks on how staff use IT services, such as email and the Internet, and on compliance with the Department's clear desk policy are carried out periodically and exceptions reported to managers. The small number of exceptions found is regarded as indicative of good compliance with the Department's security guidance.
	In addition, an agreed programme of internal audits covers a full range of governance and internal control issues.
	The assessment and audit activities outlined above provide evidence for an annual report to Cabinet Office on protective security and compliance, the Security Risk Management Overview (SRMO) Report. The Department's Accounting Officer and Senior Information Risk Owner endorse this report. In 2011, the Department reported in its SRMO that there were no significant risks to our protective security.

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: Research

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding his Department provided for research into Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy in 2009-10.

Simon Burns: The Department spent £0.4 million on directly-funded research into Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy in 2009-10.

Exercise: Finance

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding was allocated to his Department's physical activity policy team in each of the last five financial years; and what budget has been allocated for the financial years (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13.

Simon Burns: The funding allocation to physical activity team in the last five financial years is as follow:
	
		
			 Financial year Budget allocation (£ million) 
			 2006-07 2.709 
			 2007-08 1.213 
			 2008-09 4.302 
			 2009-10 28.156 
			 2010-11 9.325 
			 2011-12 12.35 
		
	
	The Department has not set budgets for 2012-13 and will do so as part of the usual business planning processes.

Influenza: Vaccination

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health against which strains of influenza he proposes that the influenza vaccination offered by the NHS will provide protection.

Anne Milton: Each year the World Health Organisation (WHO) advises on the influenza strains that are likely to circulate and, based on this advice, makes a recommendation on the composition of influenza vaccines for the following winter. The WHO has announced that the following influenza strains should be included in the 2011-12 trivalent seasonal influenza vaccine for the Northern Hemisphere:
	an A/California/7/2009 (H1N1)-like virus,
	an A/Perth/16/2009 (H3N2)-like virus and
	a B/Brisbane/60/2008-like virus.
	The seasonal influenza vaccines available to the national health service for the 2011-12 influenza season offer protection against these strains. Further details are provided in the chief medical officer letter on the seasonal flu immunisation programme 2011-12, which can be accessed at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/documents/digitalasset/dh_128175.pdf
	A copy of this has been placed in the Library.

Influenza: Vaccination

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has taken to encourage uptake of the influenza vaccination for the 2011-12 winter among (a) at risk groups, (b) carers and (c) health care professionals.

Anne Milton: The Department published the Seasonal Flu Plan on 25 May to assist local national health service organisations in developing robust and flexible operational plans for the 2011-12 flu season.
	The chief medical officer wrote to the NHS on 14 March seeking assurance that primary care trusts have adequate local plans in place for the flu immunisation programme, have ordered sufficient vaccine and will use robust call and reminder systems to contact their eligible patients, including carers. The letter stated the need for the NHS to plan locally to increase uptake in people in the clinical risk groups.
	Copies of the plan and letter have been placed in the Library.
	Over the summer the chief medical officer, chief pharmaceutical officer, chief nursing officer and chief dental officer have written to the medical royal colleges, professional bodies, professional regulators and health charities to seek their support in increasing uptake of the seasonal flu vaccine in health care workers and their eligible patients, particularly those in at-risk groups.
	Messages encouraging people in at-risk groups to be vaccinated against seasonal flu will appear on pharmacy bags across 2,225 pharmacies in England and run for four weeks until 20 November.
	The NHS chief executive has asked NHS Employers and the Social Partnership Forum to run a staff vaccination communications campaign to increase awareness and uptake among frontline health care workers. NHS Employers are providing a series of free campaign materials to NHS organisations during September, before the start of the seasonal flu vaccination programme in October. Full details can be found on the NHS Employers website:
	www.nhsemployers.org/flu

NHS Foundation Trusts

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 9 May 2011, Official Report, column 1050W, on NHS foundation trusts and of 15 February 2011, Official Report, column 720W, on NHS: legislative framework, what the reasons are for the time taken to publish the work programme for the foundation trust pipeline.

Simon Burns: Further to the previous two answers in relation to the publication of the Work programme for the national health service foundation trust pipeline, significant work has since been undertaken to fully determine the issues faced by individual NHS trusts and the actions trusts and strategic health authorities (SHAs) need to undertake to address these.
	This work has been necessary to ensure that the plans agreed for individual NHS trusts to move forward to NHS foundation trust status, will support all these organisations in becoming established as clinically sustainable and financially viable organisations, and best placed to deliver the best health outcomes for patients using services. In a number of NHS trusts, this process has required difficult decisions to be taken by trusts working with SHAs to support the achievement of this objective, for which locally-owned, robust plans are necessary. This has been the focus of the work carried out since the previous answers. A significant number of these plans are now signed off and published, with all the remaining plans for NHS trusts to move forward to NHS foundation trust status scheduled to be agreed and signed by the end of September.

Smoking: Motor Vehicles

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what progress has been made on changing the behaviour of people smoking in cars carrying children since March 2011; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what arrangements his Department has made to measure its progress in achieving a reduction in the number of people smoking in cars with children as set out in the Tobacco Control Plan; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what progress he has made on exploring new roles for marketing communications in encouraging people to make their family cars smoke free; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: As set out in the Tobacco Control Plan for England, the Department will launch a marketing campaign to remind smokers of the harms of secondhand smoke and to encourage smokers to make their homes and cars smokefree. This campaign is in the early stages of development and is expected to launch in March 2012. The tobacco marketing strategy, to be published later this year, will set out further details of how we will support efforts by local areas to encourage smokefree homes and cars ahead of the smokefree campaign.
	At the request of the Department, the Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use among Young People in England, included in 2010, for the first time, a question on whether the 11 to 15-year-olds surveyed were often near another person smoking in specific places. The results indicated that children are more likely to be exposed to secondhand smoke in their home or other people's homes, than in vehicles. However, 19% of children reported that they are still often exposed to secondhand smoke in cars (compared to 26% at home and 32% in other people's homes).
	A copy of this survey has been placed in the Library.
	Everyone needs to take responsibility for protecting children's health, especially parents. We already know that secondhand smoke exposure in children in England has reduced over time. For example, between 1996 and 2007, exposure declined by nearly 70%(1).
	The Tobacco Control Plan states that local areas should use behavioural insights in order to develop incentives, such as positive recognition for smokers that take voluntary action to make their homes and family cars smokefree. Rather than extending smokefree legislation, we want people to recognise the risks of secondhand smoke and decide voluntarily to make their homes and family cars smokefree. We will encourage local areas to create networks of local smokefree ambassadors at a community level to encourage people to make their homes and family cars smokefree.
	(1) Bauld, “Impact of smokefree legislation: evidence review” March 2011—copy already placed in the Library.

Tuberculosis: Screening

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when he expects a decision to be made on funding for the (a) Find and Treat Tuberculosis project and (b) mobile x-ray screening unit from April 2012;
	(2)  what the (a) minimum and (b) maximum length is of a contract allocated for services comparable to the Find and Treat Tuberculosis Project and mobile x-ray screening unit in NHS London; and if he will consider implementing similar services in other urban regions where there is a rising prevalence of tuberculosis.

Anne Milton: The national health service in London has funded the Find and Treat service since April 2011. Future funding for the Find and Treat service, including the Mobile X-Ray Unit, is currently being considered by NHS in London commissioners as part of the planning round for 2012 and beyond. A model of care for tuberculosis (TB) in the capital will be considered in early November 2011. This will include the possible future role of Find and Treat.
	The Department does not collect information on the minimum and maximum lengths of contracts for services comparable to Find and Treat TB project. It is up to the local authorities and primary care trusts to make commissioning decisions regarding implementing services similar to Find and Treat.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Asylum

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost to the public purse was of supporting asylum seekers who were not able to work in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: The UK Border Agency provides support to everyone who claims asylum and who would otherwise be destitute, until they have exhausted their appeal rights. Support is also provided to failed asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute and who face a legitimate barrier to return. Asylum seekers and failed asylum seekers are not permitted to work while the case is being considered other than in exceptional circumstances where there has been a delay of more than 12 months in deciding their case.
	The cost of asylum support in the last five years was as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2006-07 524 
			 2007-08 485 
			 2008-09 511 
			 2009-10 524 
			 2010-11 401 
		
	
	Asylum support costs have been reduced by over £100 million in the last year, a 20% reduction, and we expect to bring costs down again this year.
	In the last year the proportion of asylum seekers removed within one year of their application have nearly doubled and around 60% of applicants now receive a decision within one month. Our vision is an asylum system with swifter case conclusions and no backlogs, delivered at significantly lower cost to the taxpayer.

Domestic Violence: Immigrants

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what support is available to the victims of domestic violence who have no recourse to public funds.

Damian Green: Support is currently provided to victims of domestic violence who have no recourse to public funds through a UK Border Agency (UKBA) funded project called Sojourner. This is limited to migrants who entered the UK as a spouse, civil partner, un-married or same-sex partner of a British citizen or person present and settled in the UK.
	The project provides refuge places to vulnerable victims for a limited period while an application for indefinite leave to remain as a victim of domestic violence is considered by UKBA officials.
	The Sojourner project is not a long term solution which is why, after April 2012, migrants on spousal visas in need of refuge places will be given a short period of leave so they will be able to access welfare benefits while their claim for indefinite leave to remain in the UK is considered. This is a major step to ensuring that this vulnerable group remains protected and safe from abuse.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Minister for Immigration plans to reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton of 5 August 2011 with regard to Dr Peter Capon.

Damian Green: A reply to the right hon. Gentleman's letter was sent on 6 October 2011.

Missing Persons Bureau

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to make an announcement on the future of the Missing Persons Bureau.

James Brokenshire: The Missing Persons Bureau currently sits within the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA). Ministers will update the House on plans for the future of NPIA functions in the autumn.

Missing Persons Bureau

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to publish the next missing persons data and analysis report.

James Brokenshire: The National Policing Improvement Agency's Missing Persons Bureau intends to publish a second report focussing on the financial year 2010-11 in the new year 2012.

Police Deaths on Duty

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers in England and Wales were (a) killed and (b) seriously injured while on duty in each of the last 30 years.

Nick Herbert: Available information relates to assaults on police officers resulting in fatal and serious injury, from 1999-2000 to 2010-11 and is given in tables 1 and 2 (the tables indicate where forces did not make a statistical return for the assaults—two tables are given to better accommodate the footnotes).
	
		
			 Table 1: Assaults  (1)   on police officers resulting in fatal and serious injury, England and Wales, 1999-2000 to 2004-05  (2,)  ()  (3,)  ()  (4,)  ()  (5,)  ()  (6,)  ()  (7)  (, )  (8) 
			  Fatal Serious 
			 1999-2000 1 299 
			 2000-01 1 349 
			 2001-02 1 400 
			 2002-03 4 263 
			 2003-04 0 253 
			 2004-05 0 262 
			 (1) Provisional data collated on behalf of and published by HMIC. Serious assaults are those for which the charge would be under sections 18 and 20 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861. Other assaults include those with minor or no injury. Recording practices may vary over time and between forces. (2) Financial year runs 1 April to 31 March inclusive. Data include the sum of injuries for the 43 police forces in England and Wales. (3) HMIC did not publish a force breakdown of assaults prior to 1999-2000. 2004-05 was the period for which HMIC published assaults data for the last time. (4) Northamptonshire was not able to separate serious assaults from 1999-2000 to 2002-03. (5) Lancashire, Greater Manchester and West Midlands were not able to provide data in 2003-04. (6) Lancashire and West Midlands were not able to provide these data in 2004-05. (7 )Metropolitan police was unable to provide these data in 2000-01 and 2001-02 to 2003-04. (8) South Wales was not able to provide these data in 1999-2000. 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Assaults  (1)   on police officers resulting in fatal and serious injury, England and Wales, 2005-06 to 2010-11  (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10) 
			  Fatal Serious 
			 2005-06 3 423 
			 2006-07 0 506 
			 2007-08 1 502 
			 2008-09 1 439 
			 2009-10 0 381 
			 2010-11 0 333 
			 (1) Provisional data collated on behalf of HMIC. Serious assaults are those for which the charge would be under sections 18 and 20 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861. Recording practices may vary over time and between forces. (2) Financial year runs 1 April to 31 March inclusive. Data include the sum of injuries for the 43 police forces in England and Wales. (3) These data were released as supplementary datasets to the HMIC Annual Report by Home Office Statistics from 2005-06 to 2009-10 except for 2010-11. (4) Cambridgeshire were not able to provide consistent figures from 2005-06 and 2006-07. Their reporting 2007-08 data are therefore not comparable with previous years data. (5) Cheshire from 2005-06 to 2008-09 and Warwickshire from 2005-06 to 2007-08 were not able to provide data from the HR recording system, data are therefore taken from the crime system and are not comparable with that from other forces. (6) Cleveland and Devon and Cornwall during 2005-06. Cumbria during 2006-07 and 2007-08, Derbyshire, North Yorkshire and South Wales from 2005-06 to 2007-08 were not able to provide these data. (7) Dyfed-Powys were not able to provide consistent figures for the reporting period, and data for each year are therefore not comparable. (8) Cumbria and North Yorkshire were not able to provide data for 2008-09. (9) Cheshire, Gloucestershire, Greater Manchester, Hampshire and North Yorkshire were not able to provide data for 2009-10. (10) Cheshire and Greater Manchester were not able to provide data for 2010-11.

Smuggling: Tobacco

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what steps her Department is taking to stop the sale of counterfeit cigarettes from tab houses;
	(2)  what steps her Department has taken to prevent the sale of counterfeit cigarettes from tab houses.

James Brokenshire: The sale and distribution of counterfeit items is a threat that the Government take seriously. The distribution of counterfeit tobacco carries serious health risks and the Government are working to tackle this threat, with the police and other enforcement agencies.
	The North of England Tackling Illicit Tobacco for Better Health programme is a multi-agency partnership covering three Department of Health regions (North West, North East, and Yorkshire and Humber) where smoking rates are some of the highest in the country, and there are a number of major hot spots for illicit tobacco. The programme was launched in 2009 following a period of extensive research. Programme funding of £1 million over three years has been provided by the Department of Health and subsequent funding from Department of Health and primary care trusts from tobacco control budgets has allowed the programme to extend into other activities such as evaluation support.
	The programme brings together regional public health, trading standards, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), local authorities and the police—all committed to reducing the supply and demand for illicit tobacco. The programme plan sets out the following eight key objectives:
	Developing partnerships
	Engaging health and community workers
	Generating and sharing intelligence
	Identifying informal markets and preventative action
	Delivering enforcement
	Marketing and communication
	Working with business
	Assessing progress
	The North of England programme has enabled the HMRC to influence outside enforcement activity and improved joint working with Trading Standards in tackling illicit tobacco at the local level. The HMRC/Trading Standards Join Working Protocol has been updated to clarify responsibilities, develop data sharing practices and improve flows of intelligence for joint planning purposes to target illicit tobacco.
	In addition the Intellectual Property Office Intelligence Hub manages the national Intellectual Property Crime Intelligence Database. The hub receives intellectual property crime intelligence from a number of sources, including industry anti-piracy and brand protection units, trading standards, police forces, HMRC, the UK Border Agency (UKBA) and Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). This intelligence is fed into the Intellectual Property intelligence database, to help co-ordinate the response to the national threat of counterfeit products.

Third Sector

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the name is of each charity and voluntary organisation visited by Ministers in her Department since 12 May 2010.

Damian Green: holding answer 19 July 2011
	Ministers from the Home Department have visited the following charities and voluntary organisations as part of their ministerial roles:
	Secretary of State  (Mrs May)
	Stonewall: June 2010
	Still Human Here: July 2010 and March 2011
	Relate: January 2011
	Stalking Charities: January 2011
	Stephen Lawrence Centre: February 2011
	Fawcett Society: March 2011
	Rape Crisis Centre: March 2011
	Equality and Diversity Forum: March 2011
	Age UK: March 2011
	NR5 Futures Project based in Heartsease: March 2011
	Damian Green
	Refugee Council: June 2010
	Refugee Action: June 2010
	Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fund: July 2010
	Barnado's: February 2011
	James Brokenshire
	Action for Children: June 2010
	Drugscope: July 2010
	Co-ordinated Action Against Domestic Abuse: July 2010
	Children's Charities Coalition on Internet Safety: July 2010
	NSPCC: July 2010
	Prince's Trust: July 2010
	Childnet International: January 2011
	NSPCC: March 2011
	Twelves Company: March 2011
	Laureus ‘Sport for Good’ event: March 2011
	Chance UK: March 2011
	Suzy Lamplugh Trust: March 2011
	Horizon Kent: May 2011
	Barnado's: April 2011
	Horizon Kent: May 2011
	Baroness Browning
	Neighbourhood Watch launch event: June 2011
	Turning Point: July 2011
	King George's Hostel and Homeless Link: July 2011
	Baroness Neville-Jones
	Human Rights Watch: July 2010
	Lynne Featherstone
	Women's Aid: June 2010
	Anawim—women's community project: November 2010
	Selby Trust for social enterprise day: November 2010
	Solace—women's refuge: December 2010
	Actionaid: March 2011
	Liberty: March 2011
	Lesbian and Gay Foundation: March 2011
	MASH—Manchester Action on Street Health: July 2011
	RSPCA: July 2011
	Womankind: July 2011

DEFENCE

Deepcut Barracks

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on bullying in the armed forces; and in what ways has that policy changed since the statement of the then Secretary of State for Defence of 27 April 2004, Official Report, column 201WH, on Deepcut Barracks.

Andrew Robathan: Bullying and harassment are not tolerated in the armed forces. All service and civilian personnel, regardless of rank or grade, have a right to be treated with dignity. All MOD employees have a responsibility to do all they can to ensure that the working environment is free from all forms of bullying and harassment and that the dignity of others is respected. This is clearly laid down, along with the procedures to be followed if a complaint is made, in the Joint Service Publication 763.
	The policy has not changed since April 2004. Its implementation has, however, been reinforced following criticism from the then Equal Opportunities Commission and recommendations made by Nicholas Blake QC in his review of the deaths at Princess Royal Barracks, Deepcut. We have, for example, reviewed equality and diversity training to ensure it is delivered to all levels of personnel, and ensured that sanctions are brought against those found culpable of bullying or harassment. In response to the Deepcut review, we established the post of Service Complaints Commissioner in the Armed Forces Act 2006.
	The Commissioner provides an avenue for individuals to raise an allegation of bullying, harassment or improper behaviour, which the Commissioner can decide to refer to the chain of command for investigation, and about which the Commissioner must be kept updated. In addition, independent scrutiny of our training environment is now provided through inspections carried out by Ofsted.

Defence

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's brief for the Assistant Director of Information dated October 1998 D/DAO/14/3/5.

Liam Fox: I will write to the hon. Member.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much is projected to be saved in (a) Resource DEL, (b) Capital DEL, (c) annually-managed expenditure and (d) in total from training efficiencies in each financial year from 2010-11 to 2014-15.

Liam Fox: It is too early to provide an estimate of the projected savings accruing from training efficiencies as we continue to explore how best to prepare our armed forces to undertake the tasks that will be expected of them. We plan to introduce more modern and cost-effective methods of training and to deliver further efficiencies through estate rationalisation and improvements in the delivery of tri-service technical training. The Ministry of Defence will, however, provide the fullest possible information as progress is made.

Libya: Arms Trade

Khalid Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what weapons (a) British companies and (b) the Government have sold to the National Transitional Council (NTC) of Libya; what (i) civil and (ii) military training the Government has provided to the NTC; and what the cost to the public purse was in each case.

Liam Fox: The Government have not sold weapons to the National Transitional Council (NTC) of Libya nor has it issued export licences to British companies for such sales. Therefore, there was no cost to the public purse.
	However, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), informed the House on 16 May 2011, Official Report, column 61 and 30 June 2011, Official Report, column 66WS, that the Government intended to provide additional practical and material support to the NTC as the legitimate representative of the Libyan people. He confirmed the details of the equipment granted for use by the NTC and the civilian police force. Provision of this equipment is fully in line with UNSCRs 1970 and 1973 including the arms embargo.
	The Government have not provided civil or military training to the NTC and, therefore, there was no cost to the public purse.
	The UK has sent a small military mentoring team to Libya to enable the NTC to better protect civilians and civilian areas. This team has provided the NTC with mentoring on information handling, internal organisation and processes, logistics, communications and planning. A police adviser has also worked with the NTC but has not provided training.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Duncan Hames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many service personnel serving in Germany have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder; and how many of these are being treated (a) in the UK and (b) in Germany;
	(2)  how many service personnel were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in each of the last three years; and how many service personnel have been discharged as a result of a diagnosis of PTSD in each of the last three years.

Andrew Robathan: Defence Analysis Statistics and Advice (DASA) collate the results of initial psychiatric assessments of all patients who are referred to one of the Ministry of Defence (MOD)'s Departments of Community Mental Health (DCMH). This information is necessarily provisional, as final diagnoses may be refined once patients have commenced their course of clinical treatment.
	In the period 1 January 2007 to 31 March 2011, the earliest and latest dates for which verified information is available, 66 service personnel serving in Germany had been given an initial assessment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
	As at 1 September 2011, out of those 66 personnel, six were currently receiving treatment for PTSD at one of the MOD's DCMHs in the UK, and 22 at one of those in Germany. The other 38 have completed their course of treatment and have been discharged from care.
	The numbers given an initial medical assessment of PTSD in each of the last three years were 156 in 2008, 172 in 2009 and 249 in 2010. It should be noted that during this period, the MOD refined its methodology for recording mental health statistics. Up until 30 June 2009, only new referrals at DCMHs were recorded; from 1 July 2009, anyone re-referred following discharge from care was recorded again. This has resulted in an increase in recorded numbers from July 2009 onwards.
	The following table shows the numbers of UK service personnel medically discharged from service with a principal condition of PTSD between 1 April 2007 and 31 March 2010 by financial years.
	
		
			  All 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 
			 Naval Service (including Royal Navy and Marines) 15 7 — — 
			 Army 79 21 32 26 
			 RAF 5 — — — 
			 Note: To protect individual identities, and in keeping with the Office for National Statistics Guidelines, all numbers fewer than five have been suppressed and presented as ‘—’. Where there is only one number in a row or column that is fewer than five, the next smallest number (or numbers where there are tied values) has also been suppressed so that numbers cannot simply be derived from totals. 
		
	
	The processes for administering a medical discharge differ between the three services and as a consequence the numbers have been presented by service rather than tri-service totals.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Departmental Air Travel

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what (a) contractual obligations and (b) other processes his Department uses in respect of travel management companies to ensure the best value is achieved when purchasing airline tickets.

Bob Neill: The Department’s travel management company, Redfern Travel Ltd, provide an online booking facility which allows staff to compare prices and modes/class of travel and source the best value when booking air or rail travel. Additionally, Redfern supply detailed management information that allows travel to be comprehensively monitored across the Department. The terms of the contract also require Redfern Travel Ltd to:
	Provide and deliver the lowest price travel tickets possible within the UK and overseas and within the travellers requirement and the departmental travel policies.
	Constantly source new routes and lower fares on existing routes.
	Proactively advise the authority and the customers in methods on how to reduce air travel expenditure.
	Additionally, there are no minimum commitments as this is a non-exclusive contract.
	Requirements for air travel within the Department are minimal but there is clear guidance that first-class travel is not permitted. The travel management company must notify the Department’s central procurement team for authorisation prior to booking first-class tickets. Furthermore, any expenditure on air travel outside of Europe for greater than £350 is also referred to the central procurement team for authorisation.
	Staff source low cost tickets by searching available deals and rates. This is facilitated by Redfern having access to the Government Air Programme and ensuring the best available Government rates are available.

Departmental Legal Opinion

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average hourly rate paid was to external (a) solicitors and (b) barristers engaged by his Department in 2010-11; what guidance his Department uses in commissioning external legal advice; and if he will publish (i) the names of each external (A) solicitor and (B) barrister engaged by his Department in 2010-11 and (ii) the sums paid in each case.

Bob Neill: The range of hourly rates paid were (a) £110 to £288 per hour to solicitors and (b) £45 to £220 per hour to barristers.
	Departmental guidance requires that external solicitors and barristers are engaged after consultation with the legal director, and only for highly sensitive cases, cases which may lead to litigation or where the Department’s expertise is limited. The barristers are engaged from a Panel of Counsel approved by the Attorney-General, and solicitors from the Office of Government Commerce approved suppliers; with few exceptions.
	Details of all expenditure over £500 are published, each month, on the Departments website. Legal advice is coded under ‘legal consultancy’ and ‘legal fees’.
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/corporate/transparencyingovernment/spenddata/

Local Development Frameworks

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment his Department has made of the relative legal weight of local development frameworks and the national planning policy framework.

Greg Clark: The proposed abolition of regional strategies through the Localism Bill will increase the salience and importance of local plans; otherwise, the Localism Bill does not alter the legal status of councils’ development plans.
	The proposed changes to national planning guidance will strengthen the importance of local plans at the heart of decision-making.

Social Rented Housing: Chippenham

Duncan Hames: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many households in social housing are living in (a) underoccupied properties and (b) overcrowded conditions in (i) Chippenham constituency and (ii) England.

Grant Shapps: It is estimated that 423,000 households were under-occupying and 273,000 were living in overcrowded conditions in the social sector in England in 2009-10. This estimate is a three-year average based on data from the Survey of English Housing (2007-08) and the English Housing Survey (2008-09 and 2009-10). Under-occupying households are those with at least two bedrooms more than they need according to the Bedroom Standard and overcrowded households are those with one or more bedrooms fewer than they require.
	It is not possible to provide estimates for individual constituencies as sample sizes are too small.

TRANSPORT

Bus Services: Finance

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  whether his Department has undertaken an impact assessment on the provision of bus services in (a) shire and (b) non-shire authorities following changes to the Formula Grant in April 2011;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the impact of local authority decisions on funding for subsidised bus services on the provision of community transport.

Norman Baker: I am aware that, as a result of local decisions, in some areas of the country bus services are being reduced. The latest statistics on bus services can be found at the Department for Transport website and are updated periodically:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/statistics/series/buses/
	Changes to bus and community transport services are a matter for bus operators and local transport authorities; the Government do not and cannot make an assessment of every individual change but are working with local transport authorities to get an overall picture.
	The Government understand that community transport, which provides essential services for those unable to access conventional public transport, has a role to play in filling gaps left by the withdrawal of both commercial and supported bus services. This is why the Government announced a one-off funding package of £10.2 million for rural local authorities to kick-start and support community transport.

Departmental Job Satisfaction

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with what frequency his Department produces a staff survey; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the report of the most recent such survey.

Norman Baker: The Department participates in the annual Civil Service People Survey. This is a single staff survey (managed by the Cabinet Office) measuring employee engagement across the entire civil service.
	The Department's staff survey results for 2010 are available on its external website.

Departmental Procurement

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has made an assessment for comparative purposes of the way public procurement tenders for transport-related projects are undertaken in other EU member states.

Norman Baker: holding answer 10 October 2011
	An assessment of public procurement tendering is being undertaken as part of the growth review. It is intended that the outcome of this assessment will be announced at the end of November.

Railways

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what support he provides to local authorities seeking to introduce light railway systems.

Norman Baker: The Government recognise the many clear benefits of light rail and since May 2010 have supported a number of proposed extensions to existing light rail systems following approval of business cases. This includes £120 million for the Manchester Metrolink extensions to Ashton and to East Didsbury currently under construction. The Government have also announced their intention to support an extension to Midland Metro to Birmingham New Street Station and extensions to the Nottingham tram system subject to final approval. I also announced in March 2011 that the Department for Transport would be undertaking a tram-train pilot in South Yorkshire, which is now being progressed.
	The Government do not provide direct support to local authorities for development work on light rail systems. It would be for the relevant authority to undertake any feasibility studies at its own cost before submission of a business case to the relevant funding authority. The Department has recently published a report on light rail with the aim of helping to make this mode more cost effective in the future. The report is available on the Department's website.

Railways: Contracts

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department has assessed the effects of exchange rate movements on the costs of the contract for the (a) Intercity Express Programme and (b) Thameslink Rolling Stock since the announcement of the preferred bidder.

Theresa Villiers: The Department performs sensitivity analysis of exchange rate movements, and their repercussions on contract awards, on an ongoing basis. Moreover, the Department takes advice on a number of hedging strategies that could be implemented at the point of financial close to mitigate the risk of said movements.

Railways: Olympic Games 2012

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has any proposals to change the availability of cheaper or advanced train fares around the period of the London 2012 Olympics.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 15 September 2011
	The setting of quota levels for advance fares is a commercial matter for train operators. There are therefore no DFT proposals to change the availability of cheaper or advanced purchase train fares during the Olympics.
	However, train companies are offering special rail fares exclusive to Olympic and Paralympic event ticket holders. ‘2012 Games Train Tickets’ are now available to buy.

Rescue Services

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how the operational role of coastguards based in the Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centres would differ to that envisaged for coastguards employed in the Maritime Rescue Sub-Centres under the Government's revised proposals for the Coastguard Service.

Michael Penning: The proposals to modernise the Coastguard would broaden its formal role and responsibilities beyond civil maritime search and rescue, to encompass Vessel Traffic Monitoring and Counter Pollution operations. These additional functions would enable coastguards to develop improved awareness of the maritime domain and to identify and manage emerging risks to safety more proactively than at present.
	Compared to existing roles in the Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centres, individual coastguards employed in the new network of Maritime Rescue Sub-Centres would acquire significantly broader and deeper skill sets in order to cope with increased workloads and greater levels of responsibility, and to operate with greater autonomy and accountability within the national search and rescue co-ordination network.
	Further detail about the role of the coastguards under the Government's revised proposals can be found on the Maritime and Coastguard Agency's website at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/mca/concept_of_operations_doc

Thameslink Railway Line

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department has assessed the risk of any potential conflict of interest in respect of consultants providing advice on Thameslink.

Theresa Villiers: It is the Department's policy to require all consultants and advisers to declare any possible conflicts of interest when offering their services on any particular contract or assignment. This requirement is set out in the contract terms issued to consultants and advisors when invited to bid for a contract.
	Furthermore, bidders are advised that it is their ongoing responsibility to advise the Department of any change in circumstances which potentially could be viewed as a conflict of interest during the period of the contract.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Second Chamber

Jessica Morden: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps he plans to take to achieve his objective of creating a second chamber reflective of the share of the vote secured by political parties at the last general election.

Mark Harper: For as long as the composition of the Other Place cannot be changed by election, any government has the right to ensure that its composition better reflects the views of the electorate—as was proposed in the Coalition programme for government.

West Lothian Question

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he plans to establish the commission to consider the West Lothian question.

Mark Harper: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement that I made on 8 September 2011, Official Report, column 27WS. The Government will make a more detailed follow-up announcement soon, including details on the terms of reference and time-scale of the Commission.

Party Funding

Simon Hughes: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent progress he has made on the reform of party funding; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Crockart: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent progress he has made on the reform of party funding; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Harper: The Government are committed to work to reform party funding. The Committee on Standards in Public Life is conducting a review into this area and the Government will consider its recommendations, alongside other relevant evidence, before taking this forward.

Parliamentary Constituencies

John Stevenson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent representations he has received on proposals for reducing the number of parliamentary constituencies.

Mark Harper: The Government have received representations from parliamentarians, interest groups and members of the public on this issue. However, it is the responsibility of the independent Boundary Commissions to make proposals, and I would urge people to contribute to their consultations.

Trust in Politics

Helen Jones: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent discussions he has had on restoring trust in politics.

Nicholas Clegg: I have had a number of discussions with Cabinet colleagues and others about the Government's programme of constitutional and political reform which are designed to restore trust in politics.

Civil Disorder

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will conduct research into the numbers of those involved in the public disorder of August 2011 who were registered to vote.

Mark Harper: There are no plans to carry out such research. There are several pieces of research which have been commissioned about electoral registration to inform the move to Individual Electoral Registration (IER). We are funding the Electoral Commission this year to carry out a study into the completeness and accuracy of the electoral register which should be published before the end of the year. We have carried out a literature review to consider all the currently available evidence on registration, including which groups are most likely to be missing from the register such as young people or Black and Minority Ethnic groups. Further qualitative research will be carried out into these groups which will inform decisions on the transition to IER.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps he is taking to increase the level of electoral registration of service personnel in (a) Northern Ireland and (b) the rest of the UK.

Mark Harper: The Ministry of Defence recently published a report on Service Voter registration levels in 2010 and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House. That report shows a positive trend and indicates that 75% of service personnel are registered to vote, up from 69% in 2009 and 60% in 2005.
	We recognise that there is still work to be done and remain committed to making it as easy as possible for service personnel to register to vote, and to cast their vote. In Northern Ireland, Area Electoral Officers maintain regular contact with family liaison officers at the army barracks, encouraging service personnel and their families to register.
	More generally, we are exploring a number of options for a one-time registration scheme for service personnel with the Ministry of Defence to consider how this might best work in practice. In addition, we have published draft legislative provisions to extend the electoral timetable for UK parliamentary elections from 17 to 25 working days, and will make a corresponding change for the by-elections timetable, to take effect in time for the next scheduled general election in 2015. These provisions will have particular benefits for service personnel stationed outside the UK as it will allow more time for the dispatch and return of postal votes to overseas locations.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what use has been made of free prize draws to improve electoral registration in (a) Northern Ireland and (b) the rest of the UK.

Mark Harper: Quarterly free prize draws for all those added to the electoral register or those who notified the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland of a change in their details ran for three years in Northern Ireland—ending in March 2011. Information for the rest of the UK is not held. However, the Government are considering a number of ways to increase voter registration rates in the context of the move from household to Individual Electoral Registration. This includes conducting research with groups who have traditionally been under-registered to explore ways in which they may be encouraged to register.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what co-operation there has been between his Office, electoral registration officers and the devolved Administrations on foreign citizens who became British citizens for purposes of electoral registration.

Mark Harper: It is a matter solely for individual Electoral Registration Officers to determine whether an individual meets the nationality and other eligibility criteria for electoral registration. More generally, within the Cabinet Office the Electoral Registration Transformation Programme (ERTP) is working with a wide range of stakeholders including the Electoral Commission, Electoral Registration Officers and the Association of Electoral Administrators to improve electoral registration under the move to Individual Electoral Registration.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether he plans to extend the Pointer system from Northern Ireland to the rest of the UK for electoral registration purposes; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Harper: The Government have no plans to extend ‘Pointer’ across the UK. ‘Pointer’ is an address database providing a common standard address for every property in Northern Ireland. The ‘National’ and ‘one Scotland’ Address Gazetteers already collectively provide standard addresses for every property in England, Wales and Scotland and since 1 April 2008, all Electoral Registration Officers in England, Wales and Scotland have been required to maintain information held in their registers according to specified data standards.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what co-operation there has been between his Office, electoral registration officers and the Registrar General on adjustments to the electoral register to reflect (a) recent marriages and (b) recently deceased electors in (i) Northern Ireland and (ii) the rest of the UK.

Mark Harper: Electoral Registration Officers are under a duty, under section 9 of the Representation of the People Act 1983, to maintain electoral registers. Pursuant to regulation 35 of the Representation of the People Act Regulations 2001, in fulfilling their registration duties, Electoral Registration Officers are authorised to inspect council records and any registrar of births and deaths.
	In Northern Ireland, weekly lists of marriages, civil partnerships and deaths are collected from the Registrar General and circulated to area offices. Deceased persons are removed from the register and the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland write to those who have married or registered civil partnerships, enclosing registration forms, to facilitate registration and amendments to the register.
	I have had no contact with the Registrar General on this issue. My officials are in regular contact with electoral administrators on matters relating to registration.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what co-operation there has been between his Office, electoral registration officers and (a) the owners of nursing homes, (b) local authority housing departments, (c) post-primary schools and further education colleges, (d) the Department for Work and Pensions and (e) the NHS on steps to improve electoral registration in (i) Northern Ireland and (ii) the rest of the UK.

Mark Harper: Within the Cabinet Office the Electoral Registration Transformation Programme (ERTP) is working with a wide range of stakeholders including individual Electoral Registration Officers and the Association of Electoral Administrators to improve electoral registration under the move to Individual Electoral Registration (IER). This is both within the context of policy development and data matching. Data matching pilot schemes match the electoral registers against various national databases to identify missing people and properties. The Department for Work and Pensions are also represented on the ERTP Board which oversees the programme.
	In addition the ERTP is discussing with organisations that represent groups who have been traditionally under-registered or for whom IER may pose different challenges, such as those at 16 and 17 years old (attainers) and people with specific needs. A number of initiatives run by the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland, including contacting nursing homes to facilitate registration of new residents, visits to post-primary schools, and information sharing with further education colleges, the Department for Work and Pensions and other agencies have successfully increased registration in Northern Ireland.

Electoral Register: Standards

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what proportion of (a) post-primary schools and (b) further education colleges were visited by electoral registration officers for the purpose of improving electoral registration in (i) Northern Ireland and (ii) the rest of the UK in 2010-11.

Mark Harper: I am informed by the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland that in Northern Ireland 100% of post primary schools with more than 10 pupils in the 16 to 17 age range are visited by electoral administrators. All pupils in further education colleges who are not already registered are contacted by letter enclosing a registration form. The Government do not hold the requested information for the rest of the UK.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Atos Healthcare: Doctors

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 7 September 2011, Official Report, column 671W, on Atos Healthcare: doctors, if he will meet Atos Healthcare to discuss their employees' registration with the General Medical Council.

Chris Grayling: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Rutherglen and Hamilton West (Tom Greatrex) on 7 September 2011, Official Report, columns 671-72W.

Atos Healthcare: Manpower

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 7 September 2011, Official Report, column 681W, on Atos Healthcare: manpower, whether approved healthcare professionals carrying out work capability assessments who are under investigation by the General Medical Council for misconduct other than professional misconduct may continue to carry out work capability assessments whilst being investigated.

Chris Grayling: The General Medical Council and Atos Healthcare do not differentiate between professional and other misconduct.
	he term “professional misconduct” in the previous response refers to cases that the GMC considers require investigation into potentially serious concerns (Stream 1 referrals).
	It should be noted, however, that there are many cases (for Atos it is the majority) where the General Medical Council would not consider that the allegations, even if proven, would require them to take formal action. They refer these cases to the doctor's employer or contracting body so that they can consider what action, if any, they should take (Stream 2 referrals).

Children: Maintenance

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many successful prosecutions there have been for failure to make payments to the Child Support Agency of non-resident parents of children residing in Pendle constituency.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	Letter from Noel Shanahan
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many successful prosecutions there have been for failure to make payments to the Child Support Agency of non-resident parents of children residing in Pendle constituency.
	Failure to pay child maintenance is not a criminal offence, so parents can not be prosecuted. However, where a non-resident parent fails to pay maintenance, there are a number of enforcement actions available. Money can be taken directly from a non-resident parent's earnings if the non-resident parent is employed, money can be taken directly from a non-resident parent's bank or building society account, or action can be taken to recover money through the courts.
	The most serious forms of enforcement are commitment to prison or disqualification from driving. The decision whether to impose these, and the length of any order made, is at the discretion of a Magistrates' Court (or Sheriff in Scotland) where they are satisfied that a non-resident parent has “wilfully refused or culpably neglected” to pay child maintenance—but these are not criminal sanctions.
	Page 23 of the June 2011 Child Support Agency Quarterly Summary of Statistics (QSS), available at:
	http://www.childmaintenance.org/en/publications/stats0611.html
	and in the House of Commons library shows enforcement actions carried out by the Child Support Agency. It is not possible to break down these figures specifically for those non-resident parents who have failed to pay maintenance for children residing in Pendle.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Departmental Aviation

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which travel management companies his Department uses for the purchase of airline tickets.

Chris Grayling: The DWP contract with a booking agent Expotel Hotel Reservations Ltd for the provision of air, rail, ferry and hotels.

Departmental Aviation

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what (a) contractual obligations and (b) other processes his Department uses in respect of travel management companies to ensure the best value is achieved when purchasing airline tickets.

Chris Grayling: The DWP has a business travel policy and uses the services of a travel management company (TMC) to ensure best value is achieved when purchasing airline tickets.
	The TMC contract was sourced from Government Procurement Service (GPS) Travel Management Service Provision framework, which was let compliant with the public contracting regulations and EU procurement directives. This framework offers the most cost-effective travel management services available to central Government. The DWP is contracted with Expotel Hotel Reservations Ltd who access the airlines’ global distribution system (GDS) and low cost carriers on our behalf.
	The Department also complies with the Government Air Programme (GAP) which is a discount framework agreement, launched on 1 August 2009 by the GPS on behalf of central Government. The TMC uses the Government Air Programme appropriately whenever it is most economical to do so.
	Departmental policy is that staff must always consider use of video conferencing where appropriate or travelling by rail rather than air and this has resulted in a 67.4% reduction in ticket purchases since 2009-10.
	To facilitate further reductions in air travel, policy now restricts air travel for flights within the British mainland to journeys of over 300 miles. Journeys under this limit require the use of an alternative mode of travel, to limit the Departments’ carbon emissions.
	It should also be noted that the Department has achieved a 40% reduction in spend on travel in the last year and the Department continuously reviews policies and processes with a view to driving out further efficiencies. For example, the Department has introduced a ban on first-class rail travel.

Departmental Chief Scientific Advisers

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the resource budget allocation was for the office of his Department's chief scientific adviser in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: No specific resource budget allocation was made in any of the last five years.

Departmental Chief Scientific Advisers

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the salary, including benefits, was of his Department's chief scientific adviser in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and how many individuals have held the post in the last five years.

Chris Grayling: Dr Bill Gunnyeon has been joint chief medical adviser and chief scientist of DWP since 1 June 2005. The greater part of his time is spent on his duties as chief medical adviser. It is therefore not possible to define the salary, including benefits, for the science component of his post.

Departmental Chief Scientific Advisers

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many full-time equivalent staff were employed in the office of his Department's chief scientific adviser in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and on what date the office was established.

Chris Grayling: The office was established in 2003. Only part of one post has ever been allocated to support the DWP chief scientific adviser.

Departmental Chief Scientific Advisers

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his policy is on requiring his Department's (a) agencies and non-departmental public bodies and (b) contractors to have a written code of practice or protocol relating to the provision, conduct and quality assurance of scientific evidence and advice.

Chris Grayling: All but two of the Department's agencies and non-departmental public bodies have no reason to commission or seek scientific advice and evidence; the two which do are the Health and Safety Executive and the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council. The Health and Safety Commission, and more recently the HSE Board and Chief Executive, are responsible for the issues listed in (a), as set out in the DWP/HSE framework document at:
	http://www.hse.gov.uk/aboutus/howwework/management/dwphse.pdf
	HSE policy is set out at:
	http://www.hse.gov.uk/research/policy.htm
	showing their implementation of the Government Chief Scientific Adviser's Guidelines 2010. Research into scientific evidence for the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council is procured by DWP. DWP's research policies apply to such research, as set out at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/Ts_and_Cs_June_2011.pdf

Departmental Legal Opinion

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average hourly rate paid was to external (a) solicitors and (b) barristers engaged by his Department in 2010-11; what guidance his Department uses in commissioning external legal advice; and if he will publish (i) the names of each external (A) solicitor and (B) barrister engaged by his Department in 2010-11 and (ii) the sums paid in each case.

Chris Grayling: DWP's in-house legal services are the first point of contact for all legal requirements within the Department. All requests are considered in relation to the Attorney-General's guidance on the use of external legal services and the GLS procurement of legal services protocol. A decision is then taken by the in-house team as to whether the legal service required should be delivered in-house or by an external contracted legal services provider.
	DWP engages solicitors or barristers in three distinct areas for which it has different guidance and rates of pay:
	Prosecutions:
	DWP's prosecutions are undertaken by agent solicitors or barristers in the magistrates courts. We do not have hourly rates, but rather use rates as set out in the following table:
	
		
			 Number of cases London rates (£) National rates (£) 
			 Single case 100.00 75.00 
			 Two cases in the same court on the same day 125.00 125.00 
		
	
	Three or more cases in the same court on the same day attracts a flat rate as follows:
	
		
			  London rates (£) National rates (£) 
			 For half a day 175.00 175.00 
			 For whole day 260.00 260.00 
		
	
	We may agree a small uplift in scale rates if the number of cases listed in the same court, on the same day, exceeds 20.
	For work in the Crown court, rates are paid in accordance with the Attorney-General's Graduated Fee Scheme for Prosecutors.
	Civil Litigation:
	DWP only instructs counsel from the Attorney-General's Panel Counsel list for which the rates in 2010-11 are set out in the following table:
	
		
			 Panel Rate per hour (£) 
			 A 120 
			 B 100 
			 C (1)60 
			  (2)80 
			 (1) Under five years call (2) Over five years call 
		
	
	If Counsel is required from outside the Attorney-General's Panel Counsel list, permission and a nomination is sought from the Attorney-General's Office.
	External Solicitors:
	DWP has procured a range of call-off contracts for which the rates are set out as follows:
	
		
			 DWP legal services average supplier rates 2010-11 
			 £ per hour 
			 Supplier Trainee/   paralegal 0-2 years 3-5 years 6-10 years Partner Average (across grades) 
			 Average costs across all suppliers 95 140 162 182 201 156 
		
	
	A full list and the sums paid on each case could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Employment Schemes

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many (a) jobseeker's allowance and (b) employment and support allowance claimants entered the Work programme in each contract package area in each of the eight payment groups in each (i) week and (ii) month from 1 June 2011 to 8 September 2011;
	(2)  how many (a) jobseeker's allowance and (b) employment and support allowance claimants entered the Work programme in each contract package area in each (i) week and (ii) month from 1 June 2011 to 8 September 2011;
	(3)  what the caseload was of (a) jobseeker's allowance and (b) employment and support allowance claimants on the Work programme in each contract package area (i) in total and (ii) in each of the eight payment groups in each (A) week and (B) month from 1 June 2011 to 8 September 2011;
	(4)  how many job starts were registered on the Work programme in each contract package area for (a) jobseeker's allowance and (b) employment and support allowance claimants (i) in total and (ii) in each of the eight payment groups in each (A) week and (B) month from 1 June 2011 to 8 September 2011;
	(5)  how many job outcome payments were made to providers in each contract package area in respect of employment and support allowance claimants on the work programme (a) in total and (b) in each of the eight payment groups in each (i) week and (ii) month from 1 June 2011 to 8 September 2011.

Chris Grayling: The Work programme was launched in June 2011, to deliver sustained employment that can change people's lives; providers have longer than ever before to make a difference.
	The Department is working to guidelines set by the UK Statistics Authority to ensure we are able to publish statistics that meet high quality standards at the earliest opportunity.
	Statistics on referrals and attachments to the Work programme will be published from spring 2012 and Job outcome data will be published from autumn 2012. The Department's publication strategy for Work Programme statistics was placed in the House of Commons library and is also available at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=wp

Industrial Health and Safety: Prosecutions

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 14 September 2011, Official Report, column 1173W, on industrial health and safety: construction, in which employment sectors the duty holders who were prosecuted for health and safety offences operated in each year.

Chris Grayling: From 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2011, the Health and Safety Executive completed 453 prosecutions of duty holders employing fewer than 10 employees outside the construction sector. The sector distribution of these prosecutions is given in the following table:
	
		
			 Duty holders employing fewer than 10 employees (including those with no employees) outside the construction sector prosecuted 
			 Number 
			  Sector 
			 Work year (1 April to 31 March) Agriculture Extractive/utilities Manufacturing Services 
			 2006-07 24 5 52 42 
			 2007-08 9 2 38 33 
			 2008-09 8 1 21 54 
			 2009-10 10 3 21 52 
			 2010-11 10 1 29 38 
			 Note:The above 2010-11 figure is based on current information in advance of the release of official statistics for this year in October 2011.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his most recent estimate is of the amount which will be paid in jobseeker's allowance in England in the next (a) 12, (b) 24 and (c) 36 months.

Chris Grayling: The available information is in the following table. Forecasts are produced only for Great Britain, and for financial years.
	
		
			 Jobseeker's allowance expenditure forecasts 
			 Great Britain 2011-12 Forecast 2012-13 Forecast 2013-14 Forecast 2014-15 Forecast 
			 £ million, nominal terms 4,831 4,971 4,676 4,365 
			 £ million, (2011-12 prices) 4,831 4,850 4,442 4,037 
			 Notes: 1. Forecasts are those underpinning the Office for Budget Responsibility's Economic and Fiscal Outlook, published alongside the March 2011 Budget, and are consistent with the claimant unemployment assumption published by in that document. 2. Forecasts are as published on the DWP website at: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/index.php?page=expenditure Source: Budget 2011 forecasts.

Jobseeker's Allowance: West Midlands

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people under the age of 24 who will have been in receipt of jobseeker's allowance for more than 12 months by 2013 in (a) England, (b) the West Midlands and (c) Dudley borough.

Chris Grayling: The Department has made no such estimates.

Means-tested Benefits

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people who are transitioning from contributory to means-tested benefits were ineligible because of the earnings or savings of a spouse, partner, or civil partner in the most recent year for which figures are available; and how many applications for benefits were refused because of the earnings or savings of a spouse, partner, or civil partner in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: Unfortunately, the information requested is not available as data on reason for claim closure or refusal are not centrally collated.

Pensions

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to tackle recent reductions in personal pension contributions and their likely effects on the prosperity of future pensioners.

Steve Webb: The Government wants to help individuals by having a stable economy with sustained and balanced growth, which is why we are taking action to tackle the deficit and support business in creating jobs. The Government's Growth Review will continue for the rest of this Parliament, providing ongoing focus on what the Government can do to support growth.
	We believe that pension provision is important and that is why we are introducing workplace pension reform. Automatic enrolment will be introduced from 2012 requiring all employers to enrol eligible workers into workplace pension saving and to make an employer contribution. It is for employers to choose the type of scheme they want to use to meet their employer duties and this could be a personal pension arrangement.
	The aim of automatic enrolment is to encourage people to start saving, continue saving and save for longer to meet their retirement needs. As a result of automatic enrolment we expect there to be around five to eight million people newly saving or saving more in all forms of workplace pension scheme.
	Automatic enrolment is widely recognised as the best way to overcome people's savings inertia—rather than having to make an active decision to save in a workplace pension, an employee has to make an active decision not to save. Even where an individual opts out, the employer is required to re-enrol them every three years, encouraging individuals to rethink about the need to save for their retirement.
	A programme of communications and information is being designed to help people understand the need to save to meet their aspirations for retirement, build awareness of the changes and support a behavioural shift amongst working age people so that saving in a pension becomes the norm.
	And for future pensioners the Government are looking at reforming the state pension system which would be simple, easy to understand, efficient to deliver, affordable—providing a firm foundation for workplace saving.

Pensions: City of York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what the average monetary value of benefits provided by his Department was to (a) single pensioners and (b) pensioner couples in York in respect of (i) NHS Services, (ii) social services, (iii) travel concessions, (iv) television licences, (v) insulation and home repairs and improvements grants and (vi) other services in each year since 2003-04;
	(2)  with reference to the answer of 25 March 2010, Official Report, columns 419-21W, on pensioners: social security benefits, what the average monetary value of benefits in kind provided to (a) single pensioners and (b) pensioner couples in York in respect of (i) NHS services, (ii) social service, (iii) travel concessions, (iv) television licences, (v) insulation and home repairs and improvement grants and (vi) other services has been for the period later than those given in that answer for which information is available.

Steve Webb: A wide range of services and benefits in kind are available to older people and these are administered both centrally and locally by a number of Government Departments. As a result, the information is not available in the format requested: some information is not collected and some could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The information which is available is given as follows.
	(i) NHS services
	People aged 60 and over are able to claim free prescriptions and eye tests on the grounds of age. Detailed information on prescription charges is not held in the format requested.
	Free NHS sight tests were made available to people aged 60 and over from 1 April 1999. Information on the average value of NHS sight tests provided to people aged 60 and over within the area of the former York and Selby PCT is only available on a consistent basis for the three year 2003-04 to 2005-06 and is set out in the following table.
	
		
			 Financial year Number of free NHS sight tests given to people aged 60 and over Estimated cost of NHS sight tests to people aged 60 and over (£) 
			 2003-04 26,254 453,144 
			 2004-05 26,619 474,351 
			 2005-06 25,057 460,798 
		
	
	PCTs were restructured in October 2006 and no equivalent data for 2006-07 is available. Information for 2007-08 to 2010-11 is available for the North Yorkshire and York PCT area and is set out in the following table.
	
		
			 Financial year Number of free NHS sight tests given to people aged 60 and over Estimated cost of NHS sight tests to people aged 60 and over(£) 
			 2007-08 88,428 1,708,429 
			 2008-09 90,380 1,789,524 
			 2009-10 89,805 1,819,449 
			 2010-11 88,324 1,828,307 
		
	
	There is no automatic entitlement for pensioners to NHS optical vouchers or free dental treatment. Individuals may qualify for these benefits if they are in receipt of certain qualifying benefits, or if they have been assessed as eligible for assistance under the NHS Low Income Scheme. Information on the value of such NHS services provided to patients of pensionable age who qualify on the basis of their personal economic circumstances is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	(ii) Social services
	The following table shows the gross current expenditure by York council on social services for people aged 65 or over from 2003-04 to 2009-10.
	
		
			 Gross current expenditure  (1)   by York council on older people (aged 65 or over) 
			 Year (1 April to 31 March) Gross current expenditure (£000) 
			 2003-04(2) 21,900 
			 2004-05 25,600 
			 2005-06 27,500 
			 2006-07 27,600 
		
	
	
		
			 2007-08 27,600 
			 2008-09 30,800 
			 2009-10 32,439 
			 (1) Gross expenditure includes income from client contributions, but excludes capital charges and certain income items which count as expenditure elsewhere in the public sector, such as contributions from primary care trusts. This is to avoid double counting within the aggregate public sector accounts of the money involved. (2) From 2003-04, additional funding was made available to CSSRs via the Supporting People grant. Source: R03 and PSS EX1 returns 
		
	
	(iii) Travel concessions
	The statutory minimum travel concession, introduced in April 2008, gives those of pensionable aged and eligible disabled people free off-peak local bus travel in any part of England. The Government provide around £1 billion a year to fund the concession.
	Travel concession schemes are provided through local authorities, which have flexibility to enhance their schemes to offer more than the statutory minimum, so there are local variations in what is offered and take-up of concessionary travel also varies from one area to another. Therefore it is not possible to quantify the value of the benefit in kind in a specific local authority area.
	(iv) Television licences
	Free television licences for people aged 75 or over were introduced in November 2000. TV Licensing, who administer free licences as agents for the BBC, are not able to provide geographical breakdowns of licences issued. However, figures, shown in the table below, are available for the number of households with at least one person aged 75 or over receiving winter fuel payments in York local authority. No equivalent data for 2003-04 is available. These people would be eligible for a free television licence.
	
		
			 York local authority area 
			   TV licences fees   (£) 
			  Number of households with someone aged 75 or over Colour Black and white 
			 2004-05 11,685 121.00 40.50 
			 2005-06 11,930 126.50 42.00 
			 2006-07 12,070 131.50 44.00 
			 2007-08 12,240 135.50 45.50 
			 2008-09 12,180 139.50 47.00 
			 2009-10 12,290 142.50 48.00 
		
	
	(v) Insulation
	The Warm Front scheme is one of the Government's key programme for tackling fuel poverty in vulnerable households in the private sector in England. Warm Front provides grants for heating, insulation and energy efficiency measures. The following table displays the number of pensioner households that have received Warm Front assistance in the York local authority area since 2003, and the average spend on each of those households.
	
		
			  Number of single pensioner households assisted in York Average spend per single pensioner household assisted (£) Number of two pensioners households assisted in York Average spend per two pensioner household assisted (£) 
			 2003-04 82 748.75 21 1,701.06 
			 2004-05 87 693.71 22 1,596.59 
			 2005-06 199 778.45 102 765.08 
			 2006-07 364 753.92 252 657.25 
			 2007-08 390 1,020.33 297 998.20 
			 2008-09 199 1,741.24 155 1,612.50 
			 2009-10 142 1,639.09 103 1,542.74 
			 2010-11 96 1,425.91 70 1,617.70 
		
	
	In addition, the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT), an obligation on energy suppliers to deliver carbon savings in the household sector, is the primary existing driver of household energy saving measures—especially insulation. To ensure an equitable distribution of the benefits, the scheme requires a proportion of the carbon savings be achieved in the homes of 'priority' lower income households (aged 70 and over or on certain means tested benefits). In the first two years of the scheme, between April 2008 and March 2010, 3,861 Priority Group households in York benefited from subsidised loft and/or cavity wall insulation under the scheme. CERT runs to December 2012.

Social Security Benefits

Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the additional cost of welfare benefits attributable to the rise in unemployment announced on 14 September 2011.

Chris Grayling: No such estimate has been made.
	The effects of recent changes in unemployment will be incorporated into the next Economic and Fiscal Outlook to be published by the Office for Budget Responsibility on 29 November.

Stress

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department plans to take to mark National Stress day.

Chris Grayling: DWP will mark National Stress Awareness day with internal intranet communications to highlight the support which is available within the Department to help employees and managers prevent, and deal with, stress.
	This support includes:
	The Department’s Employee Assistance Programme which provides employees and managers with a range of support services including:
	a 24-hour helpline
	information and counselling
	workshops and awareness on
	preventing pressure becoming stress
	developing strategies to cope with change
	building resilience.
	The DWP ‘live well work well’ well-being programme which provides employees with a wealth of on-site and online help and advice on identifying, and practical ways to reduce, stress.
	The occupational health service which provides professional clinical advice to help employees manage their condition better at work or to return to work from sick leave.

Unemployment: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Warrington (a) under the age of 24 and (b) over the age of 50 have been unemployed for more than 12 months.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated September 2011
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people in Warrington (a) under the age of 24 and (b) over the age of 50 have been unemployed for more than 12 months. (72658)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles unemployment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions. However, estimates of unemployment for the requested duration and geography are not available due to a small sample size. As an alternative we have provided the number of persons claiming Jobseeker's Allowance.
	There were 35 people aged 16-24 and 105 people aged 50 plus resident in Warrington in receipt of Jobseeker's Allowance for over 12 months in August 2011. These estimates are rounded to the nearest 5.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk

Unemployment: Young People

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he plans to take to provide (a) training and (b) employment opportunities for young people who have been unemployed for more than six months in the West Midlands.

Chris Grayling: We are supporting young people into work by investing in flexible, personalised employment support, apprenticeships, work experience and training.
	Jobcentre Plus advisers are now empowered to decide when and how to support claimants using a comprehensive menu of help including skills provision and job search support. The aim is to give individuals the right support at the right time rather than delivering set interventions at set times as in the past. District Managers have the flexibility to put in place the support appropriate to the local circumstances and needs of the unemployed young people in the West Midlands.
	Work experience and apprenticeships are central to improving the prospects of young unemployed people across the country. This Government will deliver at least 250,000 more apprenticeships over the spending review period than the previous Government had planned and is funding 100,000 work placements over the next two years. Work Experience offers young people a placement with a local business for a period of two to eight weeks. Placements may be extended by up to four weeks where an employer offers the individual an apprenticeship and that offer is accepted. This extension will be one of the routes that will help to maximise the number of young people moving off benefits into the 40,000 extra apprenticeships, targeted at unemployed young people, that were announced in the Budget.
	Sector-based work academies are being set up to offer pre-employment training, work placements and a guaranteed interview in sectors with high volumes of current local vacancies. They are available to people of all ages but will be particularly beneficial to young people.
	We also have in place the Work programme for people who need further help to move into employment. Work programme providers will have complete flexibility to innovate and design support based on individual and local needs rather than having to follow a one-size-fits all approach. Young people aged between 18 and 24 years have priority access after nine months, however the most disadvantaged young people may enter even earlier after three months of unemployment.

Universal Credit: Birmingham

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect of the introduction of universal credit on women living in Birmingham, Ladywood constituency.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is not available as sample sizes are too small to yield reliable results for the impact of universal credit at a constituency level.
	The Department for Work and Pensions has published an equality impact assessment which assesses the impact of universal credit, as a whole, on women. This is available on the Department’s website at:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/universal-credit-equality-impact-assessment.pdf

Work Capability Assessment: Atos Healthcare

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Atos approved health care professionals responsible for carrying out work capability assessments have been dismissed after being found guilty by the General Medical Council of (a) professional misconduct and (b) misconduct other than professional misconduct in the last year.

Chris Grayling: In the last year, one Atos approved doctor's contract was terminated by Atos for misconduct following a GMC investigation which placed conditions on the doctor's registration.

Work Capability Assessment: Atos Healthcare

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Atos approved healthcare professionals carrying out work capability assessments are under investigation by the General Medical Council for (a) professional misconduct and (b) misconduct other than professional misconduct.

Chris Grayling: There are no doctors currently carrying out work capability assessments who are under investigation by the GMC.

Work Capability Assessment: Health Professions

Margot James: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what minimum qualifications are required of approved healthcare professionals undertaking work capability assessments.

Chris Grayling: Doctors must be registered with the General Medical Council; nurses with the Nursing and Midwifery Council and physiotherapists with the Health Professions Council. All Healthcare Professionals must have three years broad-based clinical post-registration experience and achieve approval (post training) from the DWP chief medical adviser before undertaking work capability assessments.

Work Capability Assessment: Illnesses

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 7 September 2011, Official Report, column 681W, and to the answer of 19 July 2011, Official Report, column 856W, on work capability assessment: illnesses, whether in circumstances where insufficient information is available and an ESA50 form is sent to a claimant with a terminal illness, the special employment and support allowance rules prevent a person with a terminal illness receiving an ESA50; and what account he took of the possibility of a terminally ill person receiving an ESA50 form due to insufficient information when taking the decision not to modify the ESA50 questionnaire to include specific questions about terminal illness.

Chris Grayling: Individuals who are diagnosed with a progressive disease, where death is a likely consequence of that disease and where this is reasonably expected within six months, will be treated as having limited capability for work and limited capability for work related activity, and as such they are placed in the Support group of employment and support allowance (ESA) with the additional support which that entails.
	Where an individual advises the Department, as part of their claim to ESA that they are terminally ill and wish to be considered under the ESA special rules, an ESA50 form will not be issued. This is unless upon receipt of further medical evidence from the individual's chosen healthcare professional or consultant terminal illness as defined, cannot be confirmed via paper based evidence. In these unusual circumstances, the individual would receive an ESA50 questionnaire and usually be invited to attend a face to face assessment.
	The ESA50 was developed and designed in consultation with medical experts and groups representing disabled people. Workshops were also held with service users to get their views and suggestions on the questionnaire. Their comments were taken into account in the development of the form, as were those of the social security advisory committee.
	We are committed to continuously improving the WCA to ensure that it is as fair and accurate as possible. As part of this the ESA50 is also regularly reviewed and refined.

EDUCATION

Antisocial Behaviour: Crime Prevention

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he has received representations on the (a) appropriateness, (b) ethics and (c) legality of the use of the Mosquito device; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah Teather: The mosquito device has been criticised by a number of children's rights organisations on the grounds that it infringes children's right to peaceful assembly. In October 2008, within its concluding observations on the UK's implementation of UNCRC, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child asked the UK Government to
	“reconsider the use of mosquito devices insofar as they may violate the rights of children to freedom of movement and peaceful assembly”.
	In June 2010, the Council of Europe recommended that Governments and local authorities in member states ban the mosquito device. There has been no case taken to the European Court of Human Rights regarding the mosquito device, and none that have cited the Human Rights Act in the UK. Ministerial colleagues and I have made clear our opposition to the mosquito devices being used to discriminate against children and young people.

Building Schools for the Future Programme

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the Answer of 6 September 2011, Official Report, column 593W, on the Building Schools for the Future programme, if he will estimate the total cost to the public purse to date of the cancellation of Building Schools for the Future funding, including costs to local authorities of legal fees and contractual liabilities for cancellation of work already under way.

Nick Gibb: The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), has no plans to estimate the cost of cancelling the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme. However, a review of each scheme's costs by the relevant local authorities and indexation savings has yielded £500 million in savings. Further efficiencies are being sought by applying new ways of delivering this investment that will maximise value for money, as set out in Sebastian James's review of schools capital. The benefits of this innovative approach to driving out greater efficiencies is already evident in the Campsmount project in Doncaster, which is being built at significantly lower cost than BSF schemes of the same size.

Computer Programming

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the national curriculum in teaching computer programming.

Nick Gibb: Elements of computer programming can be taught within Information and Communications Technology (ICT) which is currently a compulsory subject within the national curriculum at key stages 1-4.
	The Department is conducting a comprehensive review of the existing national curriculum. This review included a call for evidence to which stakeholders and the public were invited to contribute their views about curriculum subjects, including ICT. We received nearly 5,800 responses, including many from representatives of industry and commerce, and these are currently being analysed.

Computer Science

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to (a) make computer science a core subject in the curriculum and (b) adapt the curriculum in respect of digital and high technology subjects.

Nick Gibb: We are currently reviewing the national curriculum to focus it on the essential body of knowledge in key subjects which all children need to learn in order to succeed in education and in life, and to give teachers greater flexibility beyond that to design and teach a curriculum which best meets the needs of their pupils.
	We have confirmed that English, mathematics, science and physical education will remain compulsory at all four key stages within the national curriculum. We are currently considering which of the other subjects that are currently part of the national curriculum, including information and communication technology, should remain so in future, and intend to announce proposals in the new year.

Free Schools

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many free school applications have been rejected on the grounds of the extreme views of the sponsors.

Nick Gibb: The Department does not publish details of unsuccessful applications.

Free Schools

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many staff there are in his Department carrying out checks on the suitability of free school sponsors.

Nick Gibb: Three members of staff work exclusively on carrying out due diligence checks on the suitability of those who have applied to establish free schools. A further 8.6 full-time equivalent members of staff are involved in assessing the suitability of free school proposers alongside other responsibilities. The Department is also able to draw on other sources of expertise, including the police and other agencies, in order to ensure the suitability of people to set up and operate free schools.

Free Schools

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department has spent on the establishment of free schools.

Nick Gibb: Current estimates are that the total capital costs for the 24 free schools opening in 2011 will range from £110 million to £130 million. The Department will publish the full financial information for approved free schools once final costs have been agreed.

International Baccalaureate: Dorset

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools in (a) Bournemouth, (b) Dorset and (c) England offer the International Baccalaureate.

Nick Gibb: We do not hold information on the number of schools which offer the International Baccalaureate to their students. In the 2009/10 academic year, there were no schools in Bournemouth which entered post-16 pupils for the International Baccalaureate; three schools in Dorset entered post-16 pupils for the International Baccalaureate (one voluntary-aided school and two independent schools); 131 schools and Further Education colleges in England entered post-16 pupils for the International Baccalaureate. Information on 2010/11 academic year entries for the International Baccalaureate will be available in October.

New Schools Network

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  if he will place in the Library copies of all correspondence between (a) his Department and the New Schools Network and (b) his Department and other bodies concerning the New Schools Network;
	(2)  what the cost to the public purse was of resources awarded to the New Schools Network since May 2010;
	(3)  whether his Department has awarded funding to the New Schools Network since 31 July 2011.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 7 September 2011
	The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), has no plans to publish copies of all correspondence relating to the New Schools Network (NSN) beyond what has already been published. On 18 June 2010 the Department agreed to enter into a grant agreement with NSN; the agreement was formally signed on 8 November 2010. No payments have been made after 31 July 2011.

New Schools Network

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what conditions were attached to the grant from his Department to the New Schools Network in respect of performance indicators;
	(2)  to which events his Department has invited representatives of the New Schools Network since May 2010;
	(3)  what meetings with civil servants in his Department Dominic Cummings attended whilst receiving payment from the New Schools Network;
	(4)  if he will place in the Library a copy of each item of correspondence between his Department and the New Schools Network since May 2010;
	(5)  what conditions were attached to the grant awarded to the New Schools Network by his Department in July 2010; and what assessment criteria were in place to measure compliance with these conditions;
	(6)  what feedback his Department has received from potential providers of free schools on the service the New Schools Network provides under its agreement with his Department;
	(7)  what requirements his Department has placed upon the New Schools Network to report on its activities in relation to the grant it receives from his Department;
	(8)  if he will place in the Library a copy of the grant agreement reached between his Department and the New Schools Network in November 2010.

Nick Gibb: The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), currently has no plans to publish every item of correspondence, or the grant agreement, between the Department for Education and the New Schools Network (NSN). The agreement contains standard conditions covering the grant only being used for the purposes it was given; financial management including audited accounts, costed plans and budgets; due regard to the Compact with the third sector; and conflicts of interest.
	Officials have been in regular contact with NSN throughout the grant period, discussing performance in all areas of NSN's remit under the terms of the grant. A more formal discussion took place in the spring during which officials and NSN assessed delivery against the key performance indicators published in the Department's letter to the NSN of 18 June 2010 and a similar discussion will take place later this month.
	Representatives of NSN have been invited to a number of meetings and events since last summer. Dominic Cummings attended some meetings as part of the NSN representative group prior to his employment as a special adviser but the Department does not hold any details about his financial arrangements with NSN.
	The Department has received positive feedback about the NSN from free school proposers, in relation to both the quality and timeliness of the service it provides.

Pupils: Disadvantaged

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children received free school meals in (a) Ashfield, (b) Nottinghamshire and (c) England in (i) 2008, (ii) 2009, (iii) 2010 and (iv) 2011.

Nick Gibb: The available information on the number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals is shown in the tables.
	
		
			 Number and percentage of pupils  (1, 2 )  known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals, January each year 
			 Ashfield constituency 
			  Maintained nursery and state-funded primary schools  (3, )  (4) State-funded secondary schools  (3)  (, )  (5) Special schools  (6) 
			  Number on rol  l Number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meal  s Percentage known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals Number on rol  l Number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meal  s Percentage known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals Number on rol  l Number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meal  s Percentage known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals 
			 2008 7,466 1,328 17.8 5,853 855 14.6 113 37 32.7 
			 2009 7,325 1,430 19.5 5,685 868 15.3 114 36 31.6 
			 2010 7,275 1,576 21.7 5,604 895 16.0 119 38 31.9 
			 2011 7,246 1,651 22.8 5,517 916 16.6 125 40 32.0 
		
	
	
		
			  Pupil referral units  (7) Maintained nursery, state-funded primary  (3, 4)  ,  ()  state-funded secondary  (3, 5)  , special schools  (6)   and pupil referral units  (7) 
			  Number on rol  l Number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meal  s Percentage known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals Number on rol  l Number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meal  s Percentage known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals 
			 2008 — — — 13,430 2,220 16.5 
			 2009 — — — 13,125 2,335 17.8 
			 2010 0 0 0.0 13,000 2,510 19.3 
		
	
	
		
			 2011 0 0 0.0 12,890 2,605 20.2 
		
	
	
		
			 Nottinghamshire local authority area 
			  Maintained nursery and state-funded primary schools  (3, )  (4) State-funded secondary schools  (3)  (, )  (5) Special schools  (6) 
			  Number on rol  l Number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meal  s Percentage known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals Number on rol  l Number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meal  s Percentage known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals Number on rol  l Number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meal  s Percentage known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals 
			 2008 56,679 7,092 12.5 46,087 5,316 11.5 705 196 27.8 
			 2009 56,351 7,569 13.4 45,101 5,571 12.4 693 191 27.6 
			 2010 56,012 8,204 14.6 44,219 5,632 12.7 697 197 28.3 
			 2011 56,352 8,720 15.5 43,197 5,553 12.9 702 199 28.3 
		
	
	
		
			  Pupil referral units  (7) Maintained nursery, state-funded primary  (3, 4)  ,  ()  state-funded secondary  (3, 5)  , special schools  (6)   and pupil referral units  (7) 
			  Number on rol  l Number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meal  s Percentage known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals Number on rol  l Number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meal  s Percentage known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals 
			 2008 — — — 103,470 12,605 12.2 
			 2009 — — — 102,145 13,330 13.1 
			 2010 176 59 33.5 101,105 14,090 13.9 
			 2011 154 63 40.9 100,405 14,535 14.5 
		
	
	
		
			 England 
			  Maintained nursery and state-funded primary schools  (3, )  (4) State-funded secondary schools  (3)  (, )  (5) Special schools  (6) 
			  Number on rol  l Number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meal  s Percentage known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals Number on rol  l Number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meal  s Percentage known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals Number on rol  l Number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meal  s Percentage known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals 
			 2008 3,837,680 637,170 16.6 2,913,725 413,365 14.2 78,265 25,705 32.8 
			 2009 3,825,475 652,305 17.1 2,883,245 417,970 14.5 78,030 26,245 33.6 
			 2010 3,838,680 711,405 18.5 2,864,345 441,145 15.4 78,335 27,325 34.9 
			 2011 3,873,175 743,255 19.2 2,837,825 450,275 15.9 79,030 28,830 36.5 
		
	
	
		
			  Pupil referral units  (7) Maintained nursery, state-funded primary  (3, 4)  ,  ()  state-funded secondary  (3, 5)  , special schools  (6)   and pupil referral units  (7) 
			  Number on rol  l Number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meal  s Percentage known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals Number on rol  l Number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meal  s Percentage known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals 
			 2008 — — — 6,829,670 1,076,240 15.8 
			 2009 — — — 6,786,750 1,096,525 16.2 
			 2010 15,140 5,050 33.3 6,796,500 1,184,920 17.4 
			 2011 13,725 4,745 34.6 6,803,755 1,227,110 18.0 
			 (1) Includes sole and dual (main) registrations. In pupil referral units also includes pupils registered with other providers and further education colleges. (2) Includes pupils who have full-time attendance and are aged 15 or under, or pupils who have part-time attendance and are aged between five and 15 (age as at 31 August). (3) Includes middle schools as deemed. (4) Includes primary academies. (5) Includes city technology colleges and academies, including all through academies. (6) Includes maintained and non-maintained special schools. Excludes general hospital schools. (7) Comparable information for pupil referral units is not available prior to 2010 (when the collection became pupil-level). Note: National numbers and totals across school categories have been rounded to the nearest five. Source: School Census. 
		
	
	The latest information, for January 2011, on free school meal eligibility and other school and pupil information can be found in the “Schools, Pupils and their Characteristics: January 2011” Statistical First Release at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s001012/index.shtml

Schools: Admissions

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which individuals and organisations (a) he and (b) the Schools Minister has met to discuss the Draft Code on Admissions since its publication.

Nick Gibb: The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove) and I have met a significant number of groups and individuals to discuss a range of topics during the period of the consultation. While a number of these groups would have raised admissions in the margins of those meetings, there were no meetings specifically to discuss just the admissions and appeals codes. A full list of consultation respondents will be published in due course.

Schools: Admissions

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he plans to publish the new Schools Admissions Code.

Nick Gibb: The consultation closed on 19 August and we received a significant number of responses, particularly from parents. We are now finalising the draft School Admissions and Appeals Codes, taking account of the results of the consultation and the views expressed. It remains our intention to bring the new Codes into force in early 2012 in time for the September 2013 intake process. We shall publish a revised draft, as soon as possible, to assist schools and local authorities that are their own admission authorities develop their local arrangements in good time. Until the new Codes are brought into force, all admission authorities must comply with the existing Codes.

Schools: Admissions

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many of the respondents to his Department's consultation on the Admissions Code were (a) in favour and (b) not in favour of offering priority to the children of school staff for admission to the relevant school.

Nick Gibb: The consultation closed on 19 August and we received a significant number of responses, particularly from parents. We are now finalising the draft School Admission and Appeals Codes, taking account of the results of the consultation and the views expressed. We shall publish a revised draft set of codes, as soon as possible, to assist schools and local authorities that are their own admission authorities, to develop their local arrangements in good time. Alongside the revised draft codes, we intend to publish a detailed breakdown of the consultation, including the information requested on children of staff, together with our response to the consultation. Until the new codes are brought into force, all admission authorities must comply with the existing codes.

Teachers: Pensions

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when his Department last received a valuation of the Teachers Pension Scheme.

Nick Gibb: The latest valuation of the Teachers' Pension Scheme was published in November 2006. This was the Actuarial review of the scheme as at 31 March 2004.

CABINET OFFICE

Departmental Air Travel

John Mann: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what (a) contractual obligations and (b) other processes his Department uses in respect of travel management companies to ensure the best value is achieved when purchasing airline tickets.

Francis Maude: The Cabinet Office is committed to minimising travel costs and reducing our carbon footprint. In order to take advantage of the best rates Cabinet Office has entered into a Buying Solutions framework contract with Carlson Wagonlit (CWT).
	From 2012 we will be moving to the new Government Procurement Service contract.

Departmental Chief Scientific Advisers

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what his policy is on requiring his Department's (a) agencies and non-departmental public bodies and (b) contractors to have a written code of practice or protocol relating to the provision, conduct and quality assurance of scientific evidence and advice.

Francis Maude: The Cabinet Office is committed to handling science and engineering advice in accordance with the Government Chief Scientific Adviser's “Guidelines on the use of science and engineering advice in policy making”.

Employment: Scotland

Margaret Curran: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what information his Department holds on the number of jobs which were created in Scotland in the (a) public and (b) private sector in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated October 2011
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking for the number of jobs which were created in Scotland in the (a) public and (b) private sector in each of the last five years (72969).
	As this matter is the responsibility of Scottish ministers I would advise that you write to the Scottish Government.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Apprentices: Devon

Anne-Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprenticeships were taken up in (a) Devon and (b) Newton Abbot constituency in each of the last 12 months.

John Hayes: Table 1 shows a quarterly breakdown of apprenticeship starts in Devon local education authority and Newton Abbot parliamentary constituency, in the first nine months of the 2010/11 academic year, from August 2010 to April 2011, based on provisional data.
	The Statistical First Release is used for the latest apprenticeship figures. Monthly apprenticeship data is not available.
	
		
			 Table 1: Apprenticeship starts in Devon local education authority and Newton Abbot constituency, between 1 August 2010 and 30 April 2011 (provisional) 
			 Provisional 
			  August 2010 to October 2010 November 2010 to January 2011 February 2011 to April 2011 August 2010 to April 2011 
			 Devon local education authority 2,330 1,560 1,390 5,280 
			 Newton Abbot constituency 320 170 160 660 
			 Notes: 1. All figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Geography information is based upon the home postcode of the learner. Source: Individualised Learner Record 
		
	
	Information on the number of apprenticeship starts is published in a quarterly statistical first release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 23 June 2011:
	http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/statisticalfirstrelease/sfr_current

Credit

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills by what date his Department expects to announce a winning tender for its proposed research into the likely effects of caps on the cost of credit; by what date such research is due to be completed; and by what date the results of the research will be announced.

Edward Davey: holding answer 10 October 2011
	The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills expects to make an announcement on the outcome of the tendering process on carrying out research on the impact of a cap on the total cost of credit that can be charged in the short to medium-term fixed rate high cost credit market at the end of October.
	Rather than a cap on the total cost of credit, research commissioned by the previous Administration considered the impact of flat rate interest rate caps in the high cost credit market. This research found that interest rate caps would in all likelihood be detrimental to those consumers who rely on this market for credit, reducing access to licensed credit and potentially forcing them to have to borrow from unlicensed illegal lenders.
	The Department will give an update on the progress of the research in the spring and anticipates that the research will have been completed and the findings announced by summer 2012.

Small Businesses

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the contribution of small and medium-sized businesses to the economy.

Mark Prisk: Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) make a very significant contribution to the UK economy. Statistics released by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills show that at the start of 2010, there were an estimated 4.5 million SMEs, accounting for 99.9% of all UK private sector enterprises. SMEs also contributed more than half of all private sector employment (13.3 million or 59.1%) and almost half of all private sector turnover (£1,600 billion or 48.6%). Other data produced by the Office for National Statistics estimate that in 2009, SMEs contributed almost half (48.3%) of all UK private sector output as measured by gross value added (GVA).

Small Businesses: Billing

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will assess the effects of late payments on the productivity of small and medium-sized businesses.

Mark Prisk: There are no robust data about the impact of late payment upon the productivity of small and medium-sized businesses but we do know that late payment creates a climate of uncertainty in the supply chain, inhibiting investment and innovation and stifling growth.
	That is why Government have worked hand in hand with the UK's leading business representative organisations, finance bodies and banks to develop a multi-faceted strategy for addressing what is a long-standing and widespread culture of late payment.
	A critical issue in this regard is supporting business to better manage customer relationships: the majority of UK transactions currently take place with no pre-agreed payment terms and Barclays data show that only one in 10 suppliers regularly credit checks customers.
	The guides on managing cash flow, developed by the Institute of Credit Management and supported by all the UK's leading business organisations, finance bodies and banks, have proven to be very popular. They provide a simple checklist on a variety of cash flow actions, including agreeing payment terms and invoicing correctly.
	While changing a long-standing culture takes time, the latest data we have on late payment across the UK economy (sourced from Experian) show speed of payment improving in the second quarter of 2011 and better than the same period in 2010.